Posts Made By: Mark Wilding

hello there. well i'm new to astronomy, new to astromart (introduced to the site by an enthusiastic mate),new to computers too, actually, this is the first time I've posted anything, anywhere. I am hoping by next year, to purchase my first scope. I am leaning towards some kind of goto equipped 8"SCT. only problem is I'm on the other side of the world in NZ and there is not a great deal of second hand telescope trading happening here. this leads me to my(no doubt first of many) enquiries. as I peruse the classifieds here I see'CONUS'included fairly often. I gather this indicates sales to within US only. not complaining, but curious to know why so? I have two american friends who come down here more or less annually, so no biggy.
regards all, Mark Wilding

first, thanks for the responses to my first enquiry and the kind welcome. I notice as I scan the classifieds that binoviewes are a rarely listed accessory where bundled set ups are sold. any reason why these dont appear to be a commonly used item? I would have imagined these to be a useful(or at least fun) piece of eqquipment to use. also, just to clarrify,could somebody please tell me what the acronym CONUS stands for.
thanks, Mark Wilding

I would be interested to hear how binoviewer users would describe the advantages of using them, how they might enhance the sky watching experience. I imagine they would at least create a sense of a more 3-dimensional/highly resolved image. am I on the right track?

Hello all,

I am In New Zealand and keeping an eye out for my first scope. opportunities to buy 2nd hand scopes are fairly rare down here, but a C8 celestar has come available. I am wondering wether to go after it or hold off.
my concerns are:

has no controller, which is required for southern hemisphere operation. would this be difficult to get? expensive? and exactly what does the controller do?

age, this model scope, Im guessing, must be 7 or 8 years old.

the 'wedge pod' was not a winner, how much of a problem is this?

fork design not very stable or functional.

on the plus side, I would actually have a scope to use, and not just read about you guys enjoying yours!
all guidance appreciated.
picture of scope for sale attached.

regards, Mark Wilding, NZ

well as Ive heard "There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots." here I go.
still dont own my own scope,and with about a 1/2 hour total viewing experience I ask the following.
the CCD image showing the formation of 'oval BA" on jupiter on the news page, was taken through an 11" scope. how would this image compare with the naked eye view observed through the same scope?
cheers.

so the impression I'm getting is, you could expect similar, if changing detail with less depth of colour.

I dont know how I'm ever going to afford a decent scope. ever since I traded the porsche in for the aston martin, the gas mileage is killing me, especially with the long weekend drives to the beachhouse. the jetranger's been running a bit rough lately too, you should see the service charges on those babies.